Dietary intake in East Asian and Northern European participants from the FeGenes study

Despite the increased size of the Asian American population and reported differences in nutrient metabolism according to ancestry, diets of East Asian descendants (EA) in the U.S. have not been directly compared with adults of Northern European descent (NE). We compared the diet quality and food and nutrient intake between EA and NE residing in similar geographic locations.

Dietary intake was evaluated in a cohort of 487 adult males and pre-menopausal, non-pregnant females of genetically confirmed EA (n = 251) and NE (n = 253) ancestry. Participants were aged 18-50 y, non-smokers, and without obesity or other chronic diseases. The Healthy Eating Index (HEI), food group intakes, nutrient intakes, and supplement use was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire (DHQIII) and a single 24-h recall (ASA24). Intakes were compared between ancestries by Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test.

East Asian adults had similar total HEI scores compared to NE (P = 0.09). However, higher intakes of dark-green vegetables, meat, seafood, vitamin A, vitamin K, and heme iron (all P < 0.05) were found in adults of EA compared to NE ancestry. Compared to EA, NE consumed significantly more fruit, whole grains, dairy, nuts and seeds, coffee, alcohol, fat and added sugar (all P < 0.05).

Diet quality was similar, but food and nutrient intakes differed, between EA and NE residing in close geographical proximity within the U.S. Whether dietary intake differences are associated with differences in health outcomes between these ancestral groups must be determined.

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04198545 .